At some point in life, saving money has become a goal to reach, whether to buy a new car, a smartphone or plan a trip to a paradisiacal destination. Therefore, with the arrival of the new year, some financial advice should be put into practice to help achieve all the goals that involve capital.
PRACTICAL TIPS TO SAVE MONEY
Become aware
When saving money for next year, it is necessary to be aware of the expenses of the final year. In a notebook, note those things that were purchased during the year and that was not arranged in the initial budget.
This list of things spent will help to know where the money is spent and will allow establishing those that can be maintained or eliminated in 2019. Many experts assure that small consumption can occupy up to 25% of the monthly budget, so reducing it can mean a considerable saving.
Establish reasonable limits
Saving money is simple if you have small reasonable goals to achieve. When establishing more serious goals, such as buying a car, you should check the progress constantly; the more you have saved, the less likely you are to spend it.
It is important to remember that very large goals usually take a long time and we must consider that the market changes day by day. Therefore, paying special attention to predictions made can help establish certain objectives.
Make time versus money calculations
There are many things that we can do on our own rather than getting them done from someone. These things generally fall in the category of repair tasks to professional tasks. If you are a student and a worker at the same time, you need to check whether you would do all proofreading and editing of your paper or avail dissertation proofreading services. It should be weighed based on two things: whether you are able to write a good essay and how much time you would take for this task. So, you should not be spending $100 worth of time on something you can get done in $50.
Check a monthly budget
During the first month of the year 2019, a simple budget can be established from which you cannot diverge. This will be a starting point for the next month. In addition, it is advisable to set certain expenses that must be made compulsory, such as paying for a service or buying food.
In the list, each expense must be accompanied by the amount that is estimated to be used. In this way, when you make the trip to the market, only the amount stipulated in the budget will be taken, thus avoiding spending too much on things that will not be used or needed later.
Save the money in cash
Although it seems silly if you want to save money, it is best to have it saved in cash and when you accumulate a certain amount, deposit it in a savings account. To organize better, you can use envelopes and write behind what it will be used for.
This is also convenient when you want to make an expense out of the monthly budget. In this way, if you want to buy a new watch for a birthday present, you will not accidentally spend the money you want to save.
New forms of fun
Another way to save money is to look for activities that are not very luxurious and that involve reducing costs a bit. If you go to a very expensive gym, you can look for a more accessible option or bring some equipment to exercise from home. With a few weights, you can carry out a full-fledged routine at home.
On the other hand, you can always be aware of cultural events that take place in the community and that are mostly free entry. Another option is to organize hikes with a group of friends or make a bicycle tour around the city. If you want to avoid going to the movies, you can choose to read a book; since in addition to being cheap, they are much more stimulating for the mind. This does not mean that you will not step on a movie theatre again since you can use one day of the month to watch the premiere of the desired film.
Reduce energy consumption
It is a simple equation, if you reduce the energy consumption in the house, you can save money at the end of the month. These measures are not only good for people’s pockets but also, in the long term, they are beneficial for the environment since they reduce polluting agents.
First, it is advisable to turn off all lights when you are not in a room, and if you are a forgetful person, you can always leave a note near the switch to remember it. Also, you can avoid using heating or air conditioning when it is not strictly necessary. Instead, if it’s hot, you can open the window or use a small fan that does not consume much energy.
Final considerations
When you are looking to save money, no matter the year or the time it is, you have to take into consideration that you cannot be perfect. Therefore, if one day you spend too much or you touch the money left aside for saving, do not fall into despair. What you need to make sure is that you always spend on what you need.
The important thing is to establish priorities and stay attached to the plan. In this way, when you finish 2019, you can go on that dream trip or buy the car of your dreams.
